South Africa's most celebrated and versatile musician celebrated his 70th birthday in April, and these two releases are a reminder of Hugh Masekela's musical range and of his continuing ability to mix politics and controversy with his distinctive horn playing. Phola is a new set in which his flugelhorn and vocals are matched against mostly light and easygoing backing from the keyboards, guitar and bass work of his Malawian producer and arranger, Erik Paliani. It's a varied album that switches between breezy instrumentals, township vocals and gently sturdy ballads such as the autobiographical Ghana. The standout tracks, though, are the angry ones: Hunger and Bring It Back Home. Masekela was a tireless campaigner against apartheid, but now he turns his ire on South Africa's present-day politicians in a furious attack that includes lines such as: "They have lost their memory/ They embrace the enemy/ They've got houses overseas." Beatin' Aroun de Bush, released here for the first time, was recorded in Hollywood in the early 1990s. It's not Masekela at his best - it includes an easy-listening treatment of Joe Jackson's Steppin' Out and a meandering take on Michael Jackson's Rock With You - but the rousing and political title track helps rescue the set.